tci ED Coding & Reimbursement Alert - 2005 Issue 1

Reader Questions: Consult Examples for Help With -52 and -53

Question: I'm trying to figure out how to utilize mod-ifiers -52 and -53. What is the difference between the two?               South Dakota Subscriber Answer: The May 1997 edition of CPT Assistant offers some help on deciding when to append modifiers -52 (Reduced services) and -53 (Discontinued procedure). According to this reference, "Modifier -53 differs from -52 in that a patient's life-threatening condition precipitates the terminated procedure. You would not append modifier -53 to report elective cancellation of procedures prior to anesthesia induction or surgical preparation...

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